EKU Celebrates Faculty Awards

Published on April 15, 2024

In a celebration of excellence at Eastern Kentucky University, several instructors were honored at the 2024 University Faculty Awards and Recognition Ceremony on April 9 in the Keen Johnson Building. The evening’s festivities also included the Sabbatical Showcase and Faculty Club Open House.

The faculty awards cover several categories, including teaching-focused awards, scholarship-focused awards, first-year courses awards, and the EKU Libraries partnership award. New to this year’s ceremony, EKU’s Graduate Profile team recognized faculty and staff who have demonstrated a commitment to the intentional implementation of employability skills within classes and university efforts for students.

Applications for most awards are submitted in mid-January and departments are encouraged to nominate candidates for award categories.

The 2024 University Faculty Awards recipients are as follows:

Faculty Leadership Award

  • Nedim Slijepcevic, Assistant Professor, Instructional Design

Teaching-Focused Awards

  • 2023-24 Teaching and Learning Annual Themed Award: Workforce & Employability Skills, Teaching & Learning for Future Careers – Niki Hill, Assistant Professor, American Sign Language & Interpreter Education; Heather Fox, Associate Professor, and Charlotte Rich, Professor, English
  • Faculty Innovation in Teaching Awards – Vigs Chandra, Professor, Computer Science & Information Technology; Erin Presley, Associate Professor, English
  • Inclusive Excellence Faculty Award – Emily Zuccaro, Associate Professor & Graduate Program Coordinator, Teaching, Learning, & Educational Leadership
  • Transformative Teaching Award – Laura Barthel, Assistant Professor, Accounting
  • Dr. Jerry Pogatshnik Graduate Faculty Award – Cy Mott, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

Scholarship-Focused Awards

  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award – Jill Parrott, Professor, English
  • Transformative Scholarly and Creative Achievements Awards – George Ashley, MSW Field Director and Associate Professor, Social Work

First-Year Courses Awards

  • Outstanding Foundations of Learning Instructors Awards – Cassie Bradley, Program Manager, Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning and Coordinator, Credit for Prior Learning; Bethany Warner, Director, Office of Advising & Career Services
  • Outstanding College-Specific Student Success Seminar Instructor Awards – Sabrina Moore, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics; Darlene Stocker, Associate Director, Office of Advising & Career Services
  • Distinguished First-Year Instructor – Ashton Chaffins, Advisor, NOVA Program

Graduate Profile Recognitions: Essential Employability Skills

  • Integrating Employability Skills (Faculty) – Casey Humphrey, Associate Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Occupational Science/Therapy; Brian Simpkins, Assistant Professor, Homeland Security
  • Commitment to Employability Skills (Staff) – Bethany Warner, Director, Office of Advising & Career Services; Darlene Stocker, Associate Director, Office of Advising & Career Services

EKU Libraries Partnership Award

  • Catherine Stearn, Associate Professor, History
  • Starr Wentzel, Director, First Year Courses

Faculty award winners are announced during EKU’s Scholars Showcase, held each year in April.